UNLV has received a $2.2 million donation from William Bennett, owner of the Sahara Hotel and Casino, to build a professional development building adjacent to the planned Paradise Elementary School on the university campus, President Carol C. Harter announced at a news conference on Thursday (Jan. 23).

The school for at-risk elementary students and the professional development center building will be located on 8.3 acres on the northwest portion of the campus, according to Harter, who said the school will open on the campus in August 1998 as part of a unique three-way agreement between McCarran International Airport, the Clark County School District, and UNLV.

"Thanks to Mr. Bennett's generosity, we will join the professional development building and the new Paradise Elementary School in a complex that will likely become a model for such programs," Harter said. "It is pioneering programs like this - built on collaboration and benefiting the entire community - that are enabling UNLV to become a premier urban university. We are most grateful to Bill Bennett for making this possible."

Bennett commented, "I had planned on making a contribution to UNLV because I was pleased with the progress Carol Harter has made since joining the university. I recently spoke with Dr. Harter to get her input on which programs were in need of funding. Dr. Harter was extremely enthusiastic about the Paradise Elementary School project, and after speaking with her about it, I agreed that this would be an opportunity to bring the university and the community together in a meaningful way.

"I am exited that I have been able to give something back to the people in our community who have contributed greatly to my success over the years, and to help UNLV at the same time," Bennett said. "I am certain that the Paradise Elementary School project will be a tremendous success."

Under the agreement, McCarran International Airport is buying from the school district the property on the south side of Tropicana Avenue at Swenson Street where Paradise Elementary currently is located. UNLV will provide land for the construction of a new school, and the Clark County School District will build the new school, using funds from the sale of the existing property.

The new Paradise Elementary will be a professional practice school for educating at-risk students, training current teachers, and developing future teachers.

Kay Carl, associate superintendent for elementary education, said this project will allow the school district - in concert with faculty in UNLV's College of Education - to better serve this special group of students while learning new methods of teaching at-risk students.

Thanks to Bennett's gift, the professional development building and school will be enhanced by state-of-the-art computer and audiovisual equipment. According to John Amend, UNLV associate vice president for administration, the professional development building will be approximately 8,000 square feet and include a seminar room, computer lab, classroom and office space, and a control room for high-tech equipment.

The new Paradise Elementary School will be about 60,000 square feet and will be based on one of the standard elementary school designs created by Domingo Cambeiro Corp. for the school district.